Humidifier



July 26, 1966 KNUDSON ETAL 3,262,443

HUMIDIFIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug 14, 1964 INVENTORS. 05,577 E k/vz/aso/v 214mm /v. M/N/CK fizzarmy United States Patent Marshall, Mich., assignors to McGraw-Edison Com-' pany, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 14, 1964, Scr. No. 389,649 4 Claims. (Cl. 126-113) This invention relates to humidifiers and more particularly to a humidifier combined with a space heating unit.

It is well recognized that both for comfort and good health it is necessary to regulate both the sensible heat and the humidity of an indoor atmosphere. Toward this end there has been a marked trend in recent years to a consideration of comfort level to include the effect of humidity in addition to temperature or sensible heat as a means for evaluating a space heating system. By including both factors engineers and designers achieve a more satisfactory controlled indoor atmosphere.

In the present invention a space heater is provided in combination with a controlled high output capacity humidifier in a single appliance to effectively control both humidity and temperature with a single apparatus. The high capacity humidification of this invention is achieved by utilizing direct radiation from a heat exchange unit of the cooperating heater. Humidstat control permits the use of a large capacity uni-t to permit a humidifying capacity for maintenance of a level of humidity in a space equivalent to that in which the cooperating space heater is capable of sustaining the sensible heat.

It is an object of this invention to combine a high capacity humidifying device as an integral part of a space heater.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a humidifying device to utilize direct radiation from a space heating unit heat exchange to afford a high capacity humidifier.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a single, economically constructed space heating appliance for complete automatic control of both sensible heat and humidity.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a space heater incorporating the humidifier of this invention with portions broken away and portions shown in phantom view;

FIG. 2 is a section view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the heater-humidifier of FIG. 1 with the access door pivoted to an open position.

Referring to the drawings FIGURE 1 shows a heaterhumidifier unit within a metal cabinet 10. The heating unit includes a combustion chamber 11, an economizer chamber 12 and a draft hood or diverter 13 at the outer surface of the housing rear wall 14. The rear wall 14 includes a lower panel 15 which is perforated affording approximately one-half open area to minimize the resistance to air flow through the cabinet 10. A gas burner 18 is mounted within the cabinet 10 and disposed at the lower end of the combustion chamber 11.

Forward of the combustion chamber is a water reservoir 22 having a width approximately coextensive with the combustion chamber. Above the reservoir 22 a gear motor 24 is mounted on the housing front wall 26 with a rearward extending shaft 28 on which is carried a rotating medium 30. The motor has a gear reduction -sufficient to rotate the attached medium at a speed of about to revolutions per minute. The rotating medium 30 is shown as 'a circular metal disc having a perforate surface (as indicated on portions of the medium as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3). A permanent 3,262,443 Patented July 26, 1966 "ice medium, as shown, is removable for cleaning and might also take the form of expanded metal or bronze or stainless steel screen. A disposable medium could be formed of glass fiber or plastic cloth. The medium selected must be 511631 resistant and sufficiently rigid to be dimensionally sta' e.

A reservoir level indicator 32 is provided by a rod 34 which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 36 with a float 38 attached to the dictarod end extending into the reservoir. At the opposite end the rod carries an indicator member 40 which is visible through a window 42 in the cabinet front wall 26 to indicate the reservoir content in accordance with calibrations 44 placed on the escutcheon plate 46.

Attached to the lower surface of the cabinet bottom wall 48 within a protective perforate shield 50 is a variable humidistat 52 positioned to be in the ambient air flowing to the inlet opening 54 in the cabinet rear wall 14. The humidistat setting is varied by rotation of a control knob 58 on the escutcheon plate 46.

The front wall 26 is provided with a hinged upper panel 60 that may be pivoted outward as shown in FIGURE 3 to provide free access to the cabinet interior for filling the reservoir 22. At the bottom of the reservoir a drain opening 62 is provided to permit draining and flushing of the reservoir.

The gear motor 24 is connected to the line current with humidistat 52 in electrical series therewith to effect automatic control of the rotation of the medium or circular disc 30.

In operation air enters the cabinet through the inlet opening 54 and the free opening area of the perforate panel 15, is heated and humidified within the cabinet and dischanged through the louvered openings 64 in the cabine t top wall 66. The sensible heat is maintained at a predetermined value by a thermostat that controls the supply of gas to the main burner 18. This thermostat is of conventional design and is not shown since it forms no part of the present invention.

The humidity of the ambient atmosphere is controlled by the variable humidistat 52 which extends below the cabinet bottom wall and is responsive to the moisture content of the atmosphere surrounding the heater-humidifier and particularly the air stream moving toward the inlet opening 54 for circulation through cabinet 10 which passes freely through the perforate protective shield 50. When the line cord 51 providing electricity to the heaterhumidifier is connected to gear motor 24 and humidistat 52 are in electrical series whereby when the humidistat indicates a humidity of the ambient atmosphere below a level determined by the humidistat setting, the gear motor is energized to rotate the circular medium 30 through the reservoir 22. The circular medium rotates to alternately be immersed in the water contained in the reservoir and placed in generally parallel spaced confronting relation with the forward facing surface 68 of the combustion chamber 11. In the reservoir the medium picks up a film of water as the surface becomes wet and presents the wet surface in direct radiant heat receiving relation adjacent the combustion chamber for rapid evaporation. Although some humidification occurs as a result of the evaporation of liquid directly from the reservoir pursuant to the random heat gain by the reservoir, the principal capacity of the unit is derived from the high thermal interchange of principally radiant heat from the combustion chamber to the rotating medium.

In a specific structure utilizing the humidification system of this invention a circular rotating medium of 24 inches diameter is mounted on the gear motor shaft with the medium confronting surface spaced 4 inches from the front planar surface of the combustion chamber.

Although but one embodiment has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a space heating device having a vertically extending heat exchanger, a vertically extending liquid reservoir disposed in horizontally spaced relation to said heat exchanger and having a top opening; a circular disc disposed on a axis perpendicular to said heat exchanger with a lower surface portion extending into said reservoir and an upper surface portion in saced confronting substantially parallel relation so said heat exchanger; and drive means operatively connected to said disc for rotating said disc through said reservoir.

2. A space heater comprising a housing; a vertically extending heat exchanger mounted within said housing; a liquid reservoir having a top opening mounted within said housing in horizontally spaced relation so said heat exchanger; a disc of perforate material rotatably mounted about a horizontal axis above said reservoir with a lower portion thereof extending downwardly into said reservoir through said top opening and an upper portion thereof in horizontally spaced substantially parallel radiant heat receiving relation to said heat exchanger; and motor means operatively connected to said disc to rotate portions thereof alternately thru said reservoir and into said radiant heat receiving relation to said heat exchanger.

3. A space heating device comprising a cabinet including a front wall; a vertically extending combustion chamber mounted within said cabinet; a water reservoir mounted within a lower portion of said cabinet between said combustion chamber and said front wall; said reservoir having a top opening; a disc of perforate metallic material rotatably mounted within said cabinet about a horizontal axis with the lower portion thereof extending downwardly through said top opening into said water reservoir and the upper portion extending above said reservoir in substantially parallel confronting radiant heat receiving spaced relation to said combustion chamber; a selectively operable access opening in said front wall extending above said reservoir top opening to provide access tosaid reservoir; and a motor mounted within said cabinet and operatively connected to rotate said disc whereby surface portions of said disc alternately pass through said reservoir and in confronting relation to said combustion chamber.

4. A space heating device comprising a cabinet including a front wall; a combustion chamber extending vertically within said cabinet presenting a generally planar front wall surface; a water reservoir mounted within said cabinet intermediate said combustion chamber and said front wall; a disc of rigid perforate heat resistant material rotatably mounted about a horizontal axis with a lower portion depending into said reservoir and an upper portion extending above said reservoir in confronting radiant heat receiving spaced relation with respect to said combustion chamber planar surface; a motor operatively connected to said disc to rotate portions thereof alternately through said reservoir and into confronting relation to said combustion chamber planar surface; a variable humidistat disposed exterior to said cabinet to sense ambient humidity conditions without said cabinet and switch means actuated by said humidistat and electrically in series with said motor to energize said motor and rotate said disc when said humidistat senses a humidity lower than a predetermined value.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,345,131 6/1920 Cleworth 26l92 1,881,678 10/1932 Klomparens 126-113 2,158,543 5/1939 Jensen 126--113 2,256,991 9/1941 Sabins 126-113 JAMES w. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A SPACE HEATING DEVICE HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING HEAT EXCHANGER, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING LIQUID RESERVOIR DISPOSED IN HORIZONTAL SPACED RELATION TO SAID HEAT EXCHANGER AND HAVING A TOP OPENING; A CIRCULAR DISC DISPOSED ON AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID HEAT EXCHANGER WITH A LOWER SURFACE PORTION EXTEND- 